I let that sink in as I watch him search my face. "I'm clean. I mean, I just had my yearly and they test for everything."
"Me too," he grins. "Well, not my yearly, but I'm clean."
"And I'm on the pill so we shouldn't find ourselves in another situation."
He gives me a strange look, one that I can't quite read. Instead of trying to figure it out, I yawn.
"Although I'm starving, I think I need a nap," I say, yawning again. Glancing at the clock over the mantle, I realize why. "It's getting late. It's almost ten."
"Ten is late? You're a wuss," he laughs, standing and beginning to gather our discarded clothes.
"Are you a night owl?"
"I usually head to bed around one or so. I work a lot at night. Work out a lot after work. I have a system," he laughs.
"Am I interrupting your system?"
He stops in the middle of picking up a shirt and looks at me. "You're the best interruption I've ever had, Ellie."
There's no denying how I feel in this moment, no way to pretend the look he's giving me doesn't make me want to hit pause on life and stay right here for the rest of time.
"You want to order take-out?" I offer. "Otherwise, I'm going to have to get another shower, dry my hair, put on makeup-"
"You don't have to do any of that to go out with me," he says with a smile. "But I won't say no to hanging out with you here and eating food from a box. I'd prefer it, actually." He hangs his head to the floor. "I'm boring, I know."
"Can I tell you a secret?" I ask, getting to my feet. "I'd rather stay home too."
"Really?"
"Really." I head down the hall, fully aware that he's watching my ass. "I'm going to clean up. You figure out what's for dinner."
His chuckle follows me in the bathroom.
Ford
THE CEILING FAN WHIRLS AROUND, causing Ellie to shiver every now and then as we lie together in her bed. I use it as an excuse to bring her even closer to me. She doesn't resist, just smiles in her sleep and repositions her face on my chest.
After a nap, a pizza delivery, a shower, followed by round two, we both fell asleep. It's now nearing eight in the morning. I don't know what time she usually gets up, but I know there's no way I'm going to disturb her.
My clothes are on a chair in the corner of the room, my phone tucked safely in one of the pockets of my pants. In less than an hour, that phone is going to ring. It's going to be Graham and he's going to be pissed.
There is a meeting scheduled at Landry Holdings at eight-thirty. It's a meeting I'm going to miss because I'm not about to shorten this moment for anything in the world by untangling our bodies just to get my phone.
Glancing down at her, I take in her pouty lips that are pressed together like they want kissed. Her lashes are splayed against her cheeks, her arm stretched lazily over my stomach. It's a beautiful sight. It's an even better feeling.
I might have suspected that I couldn't fully connect with another woman because my heart was still with her. It was one of the only explanations why I found a fatal flaw in every date I had, in every girl that I even vaguely considered dating. They just weren't right. Something was slightly amiss and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
My finger-hell, my whole hand-is on top of it now. It's absolutely clear that I have two choices: live alone for the rest of my life or fight like hell for this. For her. For us.
There might be two choices, but there's only one answer.
Ellie begins to stir, rolling away from me and stretching.
"Shh," I whisper, trying to bring her in beside me again.
Her beautiful eyes pop open. "Are you going to let me sleep all day?" she laughs sleepily.
"I'd let you sleep all week if that meant I got to hold you."
"What time is it?"
"Almost eight or so."
She furrows her brows as if she's just waking up and putting all the pieces together. Before she can comment, my phone rings through the silence.
"Shit," I groan. Reality has officially broken through. "I really need to get that."
After she wiggles to the side, I unfold my body and pad across the floor. Her gaze is hot against my back, searing my skin as I grab my phone and bring it to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Where the hell are you?" Graham asks.
"Occupied."
"Damn it, Ford. Just because Lincoln has shaped up a bit, doesn't mean you have to fill the vacancy."
"Easy there, captain," I laugh. "Hoda will be there. She has the files, and I went over everything with her yesterday. She knows where I stand. You don't really need me."